Nitrogen fertilizer use in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Nitrogen fertilizer use was 25,216 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Papua New Guinea, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, nitrogen fertilizer use in Papua New Guinea stood at 25,216 tonnes.
That represents a change of down 17.3% on the previous year and up 52.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrogen fertilizer use in Papua New Guinea peaked at 30,473 tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 100 tonnes, in 1961.
Papua New Guinea ranks 108th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 100 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 100 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 300 tonnes | +200.0% |
| 1967 | 500 tonnes | +66.7% |
| 1968 | 500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1970 | 1,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 2,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1972 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2,600 tonnes | +30.0% |
| 1974 | 3,500 tonnes | +34.6% |
| 1975 | 3,400 tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1976 | 4,400 tonnes | +29.4% |
| 1977 | 5,800 tonnes | +31.8% |
| 1978 | 6,100 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 1979 | 3,200 tonnes | -47.5% |
| 1980 | 3,000 tonnes | -6.2% |
| 1981 | 7,300 tonnes | +143.3% |
| 1982 | 3,200 tonnes | -56.2% |
| 1983 | 3,500 tonnes | +9.4% |
| 1984 | 3,396 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1985 | 5,300 tonnes | +56.1% |
| 1986 | 6,800 tonnes | +28.3% |
| 1987 | 7,300 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1988 | 6,200 tonnes | -15.1% |
| 1989 | 6,300 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 5,400 tonnes | -14.3% |
| 1991 | 6,500 tonnes | +20.4% |
| 1992 | 8,000 tonnes | +23.1% |
| 1993 | 8,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 8,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 8,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 8,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 8,100 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 3,200 tonnes | -60.5% |
| 1999 | 2,700 tonnes | -15.6% |
| 2000 | 4,700 tonnes | +74.1% |
| 2001 | 4,800 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 4,983 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 6,869 tonnes | +37.8% |
| 2004 | 14,752 tonnes | +114.8% |
| 2005 | 13,832 tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2006 | 11,317 tonnes | -18.2% |
| 2007 | 12,198 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 13,695 tonnes | +12.3% |
| 2009 | 19,011 tonnes | +38.8% |
| 2010 | 15,968 tonnes | -16.0% |
| 2011 | 11,561 tonnes | -27.6% |
| 2012 | 16,132 tonnes | +39.5% |
| 2013 | 16,530 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 17,022 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 20,674 tonnes | +21.5% |
| 2016 | 21,004 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 26,359 tonnes | +25.5% |
| 2018 | 28,569 tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2019 | 28,748 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 26,415 tonnes | -8.1% |
| 2021 | 24,908 tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 30,473 tonnes | +22.3% |
| 2023 | 25,216 tonnes | -17.3% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 25,216 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 47,552 tonnes, 53% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 25,216 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 21,697 tonnes, 1.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nitrogen fertilizer use in Papua New Guinea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | +200.0% | 100 tonnes | 300 tonnes |
| 1981 | +143.3% | 3,000 tonnes | 7,300 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 311.11 tonnes | 100 tonnes | 1,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 3,400 tonnes | 1,000 tonnes | 6,100 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 5,230 tonnes | 3,000 tonnes | 7,300 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 6,590 tonnes | 2,700 tonnes | 8,100 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 10,616 tonnes | 4,700 tonnes | 19,011 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 20,257 tonnes | 11,561 tonnes | 28,748 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 26,753 tonnes | 24,908 tonnes | 30,473 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More agriculture & rural data for Papua New Guinea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.3264 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1702 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 495.76 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8422 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 17.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 17.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrogen fertilizer use in Papua New Guinea?
- Nitrogen fertilizer use in Papua New Guinea was 25,216 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 30,473 tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest nitrogen fertilizer use recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 100 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for nitrogen fertilizer use?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 108th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrogen fertilizer use rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Nitrogen fertilizer use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measures total nitrogen inputs, including synthetic fertilizers alongside organic inputs from manure and crop fixation. Measured in tonnes of nitrogen.